Fence construction



Aug. 29, 1933. F Q CARREL 1,924,834

FENCE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 12, 195o Patented Ang. 219, i

Nita

FENCE CONSTRUCTON Frank G. Carrel, Western Springs, Ill., assigner,

by mesne assignments, te 'i'lalamet' Steel Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Delaware Application .liuly 12, 1930. Serial No. 467,409

Claims.

invention relates to fence construction and more particularly to dirtset end or corner structures which pre erably employed in the indicated locations of fence lines, although readily adaptable for use along other portions of such lines.

oi my invention is to provide a in dity oi placement -tenance of a taut, straight oi steel angle piecesand 'n resistance to erosion and :ength per unit Weight of the the assembly eiiected quickly,

being ea4 ly and low' rate oi' cost.

' provision ot a metallic ly braced by auxiliary members to itMi its proper upright position against the pall the fence, these members beso a as that their caience post socie-ted Yvi-'ii the pos ctive braces is unaffected ground, the construc- -hly versatile and always t is correctly placed and sated against the stresses and 1i type of service.

l v invention concerne-:i more particularly fences inploying metallic posts and is ined toV provide a secure anchorage therefor to end that the posts will maintain their verpositions and t. e fence original tightness consequently its neatness of appearover a long period of time. The design or structure perniits its assemblage at the point tlwough a simple bolting of the together, each step in the assembly substantially acting as a guide or gauge to determine the correct position the next piece to he applied. The principal post of the structure is the only member requiring the digging of a hole, the shorter anchor posts ywhich neutralize the larger part of the pull on the niain posts through braces and plate members hereinafter described being driven into position.

These and further objects of my invention Will set forth in the following speeiiication, reference being had the accompanying drawing, and the novel means by which said objects are iss-Lam I y eiiiectuated will be definitely pointed out inthe claims.

In the drawing:

ligure lis a perspective View of the corner of a fence line showing my improved construction as applied to the corner post.`

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section along 2 in Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows, and sh construction employed at the base of the corner post;

3 is an enlarged view, looking in the directfion of the arrow 3 in Fig. l, and showing the manner of securing one end oi the brace i einher to the corner post.

Fig. l is an enlarged section along the line fl--fl in i, looking in the directionof the arrows, and showing the manner of securing the opposite'end of one oi the brace members to its companion anchor post,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the construction as applied to an end post in a fence line.

`'lfteierring to Fig. 1, my improved fence construction comprises a main or corner post 10, diagonal braces il, anchor posts l2, a combined foot Yand anchormeniber 13 which is vcomposed of a plurality or' pieces and attached to the lower end of the post 10, as described more particulariy hereinafter, and anchor plates 14 and 15 secured, respectively, to the corner post 10 and anchor post 12. Except for the plates 14 and `15, theabove parts are preferably formed the line fing the combined foot and anchor of steel angle pieces as providing greater strength and affording more resistivity to the action of moisture and ground acids, but itis contemplated that these several parts, including the above plates, may be varied as regards form and choice of material used without affecting the primary conception of this invention, which residesvessentially inthe manner in which these several parts are assembled together. The exposed parts of the structure may be painted for decorative purposes as desired and the embedded portions may be additionally covered with protective coatings of various kinds. Y l

As shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of angle pieces 16 are used to form the combined foot and anchor member 13, these members being assembled and secured Ato the lower orembedded end of the post withl two of said pieces bolted together and to one limb 17 of the post 10 by bolts 18. Another piece isl similarly bolted to the other limb 19 of said corner post, so that the lower end 'oithe' latter is thereby provided with an roo enlarged surface which enables the post to stand upright during the assemblage of the structure and also functions, Vwhen the earth is thereafter tamped around the corner post to firmly anchor the same from displacement from its original, vertical position. Above the member 13, and at a predetermined distance therefrom, but within the embedded portion of the post 10, a pair of the anchor plates le is secured to said post by bolts 20, a plate being secured to each one of the limbs 17 and 19 of said post.

A hole 21 is thereafter dug having a crosssectional proiile generally corresponding to that defined by the marginal edges or" the member 13 and of a depth determined by the portion of the post 1S to be embedded. The post 10 is then inserted in the hole 21 with the member 13 resting on the bottom thereof and with the anchor plates 14 normally disposed to the direction of the fence lines for a purpose hereinafter explained. The hole 2i may then be lled with dirt and stones and suitably tamped, after which the upper ends oi the diagonal braces 11 are secured to the inner faces of the limbs 17 and 19 by bolts 22 and the lower end of each brace is permitted to drop substantially to the ground line, this dropping of the braces determining the location or" the coacting anchor posts 12 which are then driven into the ground to be substantially embedded therein and the upper end of each post 12 and the lower end of each brace 11 are secured by a bolt 23. Prior to driving each post 12,the latter may have amxed thereto a pair of anchor plates l5 by bolts 2li, said plates being suitably disposed between the ends of each anchor post so as to provide the greatest resistance to displacement of the latter under the strain produced by the fence line. The corner structure is now completed, whereupon the usual wire 26 may be secured to the post 10 in the usual manner. Y

A fence structure of this type is susceptible of simple fabrication, the separate parts being stored until needed, followed by their assemblage as desired at the places used. All parts are drilled to receive the several bolts and the several parts fit cach other accurate y to facilitate a rapid assembly. The relation ofthe angle pieces to each other insures the obtain .ig of a rigid, sturdy construction that maintafn the fence line in a taut, straight condition, and this result is obtained without any necessity 'for cumbersome, bulky settings, such an concrete and the like. Moreover, each part as assembled acts substantially as a guide to locate the correct position oi the succeeding part, so that the structure may be assembled easily and quickly by unskilled labor. The amount of labor involved is also considerably lessened, with resi ect to similar structures which are characterized by an equivalent rigidity of position, by the necessity of ddgging only one hole, since the other embedded parts are positioned by simple driving operations. The combined foot and anchor member 13 adequately resists any tendency of the corner post 10 to be moved out of its vertical position, or to be pulled bodily upward, while the anchor plates 14, by 'reason of their location with respect to the direction of the joining fence lines, effectively prevent any tendency of the corner post 1Q to bow between its ends under the pull of the ience. A similar function is performed by the anchor plates 15 on the corner post 12, since the stress operating along each brace ll is eectiveiy counteracted by the large surface presented by the anchor plates 15 to the ground within which they are embedded.

Owing to its capacity for free movement during the assembly of the structure relative to the post 10, each brace 11 accurately determines the position of its corresponding anchor post 12, regardless of the unevenness of the ground, whether sloping downwardly away from the post 10 or directed upwardly therefrom, it only being necessary, as set forth above, to simply drop the lower end of the brace 11 on the ground and thereafter drive the anchor posts 12 in position for securing their adjacent ends together. If, in driving, the anchor post 12 should strike an obstruction or become twisted for any reason, the post may be easily pulled into correct line by unbolting the upper end of the corresponding brace 11 from the post 10 and securing the lower end of said brace to the upper end of the anchor post in question and thereafter using such brace as a lever to correctly position the indicated anchor post.

In Fig. 5, the structure illustrated refers to the end post of a fence line, the manner of assembling and the parts necessary therefor being identical with those shown in Fig. 1. In this situation, it is only necessary to brace the corner post in one direction, as contrasted with the dual bracing shown in Fig. 1, so that it is only required to employ a single brace 1l, a single anchor post 12, and a single anchor plate l/l on the corner post. It is also contemplated that long fence lines may require at certain intervals the interposition or" a construction such as shown in 5, with the addition of another diagonal brace and anchcr post located on the opposite side of the main post from that shown in said figure, thus bracing the post in opposite directions along the same fence line.

While I have shown one set or" elements and combinations thereof for eiiectuating my improved fence construction, it will be understood that the saine intended for purpose oi illustration only and in no wise to restrict my arrangement to the exact forms structures shown, for many cha ges may be made therein without departing from the spirit oi my invention.

I claim:

l. A fence post of angle section for a fabricated fence construction having a combination foot and anchor member, said member comprising a plurality of short lengths of angle pieces, the vertical limbs oi two of said pieces being secured to one limb of said post and the vertical limb of a third piece being secured to the other limb of said post, the other limbs of said pieces forming an extended supporting footing for the post.

2. A fence post of reiatively small cross section having a combination 1Zoot and anchor member, said member comprising a plurality of short lengths of angle pieces, the vertical limbs of two of said pieces being secured to one of the sides of the post and the vertical limb of a third piece being secured tc another side of said post, the other limbs of said pieces forming an extended supporting footing for the post.

3. A fence post of relatively small cross ection having a combination fcc-t and anchor member, said member comprising a plurality of short lengths or pieces, each of which has a pair oi normally disposed one oi w Ich is horizontal, two of the pieces being secured to side oi the post and the other piece to another side of the post, the horizontal sides or said pieces forming an extended supporting footing for the post.

FRANK G. CARREL. 

